Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Rick Scott's Double Standard on Drug Privacy

Previous legal rulings have stated that the state government cannot mandatory force state workers to be drug tested. Gov. Rick Scott is going to disregard the law. People collecting unemployment will be forced to pay for their own drug tests.

Young Turks host Cenk Uygur made a strong case that Scott is merely targeting state workers and the unemployed, in order to demonize them. Uygur points out that Scott refuses to support a drug database.

"I don't support the database," Scott said at a news conference. "I believe it's an invasion of privacy."

Scott has no problems invading the privacy of poor people and state workers. However, drugs used by white collar people deserve to have their privacy protected. Not flip-flopping much, are we governor?

There is also a question of if Scott's medical clinic company Solantic will benefit. Scott promised to place his financal holdings into a blind trust. Instead, he gave his Solantic stock to his wife. The media is finally calling Scott on this shady deal.

“As I’ve told you, I’m not involved in that company,” Scott said, refusing to directly answer whether he would consider prohibiting the state from contracting with the firm.

A blind trust would mean there would be no way for Scott to have control over his financial properties. The same can't be said by Scott giving Solantic stock to his wife.

"There's federal, U.S. Supreme Court standards on all of this. I don't think the governor got very good legal advice on this thing," Simon said.

He noted that Scott has staunchly opposed a statewide computer database that would track prescriptions of Vicodin, Percocet and other dangerous narcotics, on grounds that it could intrude on privacy rights.

"That could only come from a person who is very, very selective in their principles," Simon said.